Royals manager Matt Quatraro sometimes thinks about what it will be like years from now to see the players he once coached honored in the Royals Hall of Fame.
Knowing he was part of their careers and the stories people will remember for years to come is a special honor.
On Monday, Quatraro got another reminder of what makes those players exceptional when the Royals announced their 2026 team award winners, as voted on by the Kansas City chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
Bobby Witt Jr. was named the Les Milgram Player of the Year, Michael Wacha earned the Bruce Rice Pitcher of the Year Award and Salvador Perez received the Joe Burke Special Achievement Award.
“These are three guys that deserve to be bragged about,” Quatraro said Monday. “Not only for what they've accomplished on the field, but the people they are.”
Witt earned Player of the Year honors for the fifth consecutive season, becoming the first Royal to do so. The 26-year-old has received the honor in every season of his Major League career, including unanimous selections in 2023 and '24.
“Just the special talent, the humility, the person, all the things that we love about [Witt],” Quatraro said. “I know from his standpoint, he doesn't … even feel like he had a good year, and he's still an MVP candidate.”
Witt slashed .281/.359/.441 with 94 runs, 33 doubles, 18 home runs, 54 RBIs, 45 stolen bases and an .800 OPS in 143 games. His 7.0 fWAR ranked second in the Majors, trailing only Pete Crow-Armstrong (10.6).
“Overall, you look at the stats, they're fine and everything,” Witt said. “But I still think there's just a lot more that I feel like I didn't leave on the table, but I can get to.”
For Witt, 2026 was a year of learning, especially when it came to supporting his teammates and leading through challenges. That included navigating his first stint on the injured list.
“[This year] was more of a learning curve,” Witt said. “Just learned a lot about myself, for one, and just knowing how to kind of deal with injuries, deal with pain, bumps, bruises, whatever it is, and just kind of going through that. ... When I'm at my best is whenever we're winning, we're going out there, we're playing together as a team.”
Wacha earned Pitcher of the Year honors after one of the most durable seasons of his 13-year Major League career.
The 35-year-old right-hander went 9-10 with a 3.32 ERA in 32 starts, recording career highs in starts, innings (200 2/3) and quality starts (21). He led the American League in both innings and quality starts, becoming the third Royal to lead the AL in both categories, according to Elias Sports Bureau, following Bret Saberhagen in 1989 and James Shields in 2013.
“On a personal level, it was a successful year,” Wacha said. “I was able to reach that 200-inning mark that so many starting pitchers are going out and trying to hit. It's always been a goal of mine. … That means you stayed healthy, that you were going deep into games and that you [were] giving your team a chance to win.”
Wacha also became just the third pitcher in the Divisional Era (since 1969) to lead the AL in both categories in his age-34 season or older, joining Roger Clemens (1997) and Justin Verlander (2019).
“Remarkable, really, in [his] 13th season,” Quatraro said. “Making every start. Just how good he was for us the whole season and how reliable, what he means to the younger pitchers, all those things are just really fun to watch. And the person he is, I've said it over and over, as a starting pitcher, to be the consummate teammate that he is is really fun to watch.”
Perez received the Joe Burke Special Achievement Award for the second time in his career, having previously earned the honor in 2022. The award recognizes a player who exceeded expectations or whose outstanding season deserves special recognition.
In his 15th Major League season, all with Kansas City, the 36-year-old catcher hit 21 home runs and drove in 78 runs across a team-high 152 games.
His biggest milestone came on July 25 in Detroit, when he hit his 318th career home run to surpass George Brett (317) as the Royals' all-time home run leader.
Perez finished the season with 324 career homers, tied with Gary Carter and Lance Parrish for the fifth most among primary catchers in Major League history. He also previously won the Royals' Player of the Year Award in 2020 and '21.
“For Salvy, all the accomplishments he's had over the years, you [still] see him play with a smile on his face,” Quatraro said. “He loves the organization, the city. He's grown up here and Bobby is the same.
“They embody what we want not only our baseball team -- but our community -- to be about.”